Artist Statement Writing – Week of 10/10

Previously we used a writing approach for our Manifesto that encourages the use of making a list of statements to communicate and express ourselves publicly. In the coming weeks each student will be creating and completing an outline for their research papers, and for some, their final thesis.

This week, please begin writing an Artist Statement by generating a list of 15-25 (or more) individual short statements in the form of a list (just like your manifesto).

Put your emphasis on a current body of your work. This should be something that you have been working on for at least 1 month, but no longer ago than one year.

Questions to focus on: (but you are not bound to)

Description/Abstract: Introduction. Descriptions of the concept and body of work that you will be discussing. Be clear and objective, you need not tell your whole life story here. By creating a list, you will illustrate the many fragments of your thought process. Don’t worry about editing or making them perfect, just list them.

Process, Materials and Methods: Here you will a list and discuss the descriptions of your working processes, techniques learned and applied, and the materials used to generate the art that you create. Why have you selected these specific materials and techniques to communicate your ideas? How do these choices effect how the viewer will receive your work? Have you personalized a technique in a new way? How so? Were their limitations and new discoveries?

Resources and References: Historical and cultural referencing, artists, art movements, databases, and any other form of related influence. How has your research influenced your work, ideas, and decision-making process? What contrasts and contradictions have you discovered about your work and ideas? How has regular research and exposure during your program inspired you? Have you made direct and specific connections to an art movement or a series of artists? Explain your discoveries and how you came to those conclusions.

Exhibition Simulation: You will be mounting a final thesis exhibition of your work. How will you be mounting your exhibition? Why have you selected this particular composition? How did the space itself dictate your choices for installation? How will your installation effect or alter the physical space itself? Will you generate a floor plan sketch to accompany the proposed composition? If so, please explain, if not, also explain why? What kind of help will you need to realize the installation? What materials will you be using to install? Do you have special requirements for ladders, technologies and additional help? Explain in detail.

Reflection: What have you learned over the course of your graduate program? How has the program influenced your work and how you communicate as an artist? What were your greatest successes? What areas do you need to work on? What skills will you apply directly into your continued professional practice? Do you plan to teach after you graduate? If so, what philosophies and theories will you apply into your teaching practice? Where do you see your self professionally as an artist in 3–5 years?

**Keep in mind – Only graduating students need to focus on #4 & #5.

Please publish your Statement in the Comments section below! Have fun with this!

The artwork I presently create continues to hone my drawing skills through the delineation of the human form in classical figure studies from life. These compositions are primarily completed in traditional media, such as pencil or charcoal, and then updated through the use of various digital software programs.

As I see young people walking together on the streets, in shopping malls, or college hallways, everyone is looking down at phones, disengaged from interpersonal communication, more interested in what’s going on somewhere else than being present with others in the moment.

The current concept of my illustrative style is a recognition of and a reaction to the digital inundation of our contemporary existence, by recognizing our addictive reliance on hand-held devices and other forms of technology.

Just like Picasso’s Cubism reflected the industrialization of the early 1900’s, my style seeks to be a new Cubism for the 21st century. Each composition dissolves the human form into tiny, geometric light fragments on a screen or in an enormous printout, seeking to make a visual statement by depicting our current existence as one that is “lost in the pixels.”

“Blue” is a blueprint representing the most common sentiments one experiences and how we rely on certain things and people for support. Waves represent an array of feelings and emotions. Corbels, a structural adornment that carries an incumbent amount of weight, symbolizes the unwavering supports we rely on. The two together create and soft but strong dynamic.

In my mind clay has always been a medium of continuity and fragility. One that can be controlled yet still remains unstable- I find my emotions and feelings to operate in a similar capacity. I work with porcelain for its freshness, delicacy and strength, qualities I find in myself.

Corbels have been used throughout history in architecture from Neolithic times to the present. The corbel arch is used to span a space or void in a structure. Often rows of corbels are used to support a projecting wall or parapet. They ensure stability and charm. Nature is another influence of mine. It has always had the power to appear weak yet strong, joyous and fierce. It affects our moods, our bodies and souls. My waveforms were influenced by Japanese woodblock prints, especially Hokusai. The soft undulations of water begin to morph into an abstraction. They turn from realistic predictable waves to soft rounded forms.

“Blue” will be installed in a loose undulating format reflecting the undercurrents of the ocean. The layout will allow viewer’s eyes to move from one side of the installation to the other and back again. Working on a small scale in general I decided to use the smaller wall to install Blue and the largest wall to showcase my “Blue Prints”.

I believe this art program has pushed me to make more conceptual work. Before “Blue” I was a potter and now I feel as if I am an artist communicating through my art. I believe my greatest success is my ability to produce art and an art show that feels professional and refined. I’ve put myself out there for others to connect to and feel triumphant. Professionally I hope to inspire and encourage other young artists to showcase their strengths and talents as I continue to do so.

Excellent work on this so far! Did you find making list-like short series of phrases helpful? Have you discovered anything new in your writing after re-reading it in this format? If so please follow up and share those discoveries here as well.

1. Working through emotion, and through my anxiety. Creating allows me to release the built up pressure from all the obsessive thoughts, worries and doubts from day to day. I like to mix materials because the different elements symbolize the different parts of my life as well as adds a little chaos to my art which reflects on the chaos of thoughts going on inside my head.
2. Mixed Media, Recycled material for base/canvas of art. Picking up ripped up cardboard pieces and putting them back together that fit in a new refreshed way. Charcoal, Pastel, Marker and Paint. Usually influenced from sculptures from renaissance and from the early 1900s. My markings are more expressive than precise except for my marker work. I create outlines within my work which symbolizes my stability of overcoming and brings a sense of tranquility to the chaos. I enjoy the loose paint drips as well as using color as accents instead of a focus. Color depends on the emotions at the moment. I selected these materials because cardboard is 1. Temporary but kind of stable 2. Non-traditional 3. Keeps my brain from having a block that a white piece of paper gives me and allows me to feel more expressive and connected to my piece. I have to rip up the cardboard and piece it back together. I have already started my piece of art without really concentrating on the final outcome. It loosens my brain and allows the creativity to flow easier.
3. Rodin, Michelangelo, Magazine Portraits, Francis Bacon, Cristina Troufa, Frida Kahlo
Rennaissance, Expressionism, Impressionism, Surrealism, Modern Art, Symbolism
My work and ideas are influenced from the techniques, expressions, and meanings of these artist’s artwork. Was more strictly in photography but have grown more open to different media to express my voice. My art is a mix between these different art movements and each one is an important piece to my art.

1. I want to be able to express myself with my paintings. When I say I want to express myself I mean that I want to leave a piece of my present self on the canvas
2. My objective is to tell the story of my life and how it has made the person I am today
3. I am very focused on my brushstrokes
4. The most important thing for me is how the brushstrokes look and how it blends together
5. I like to create the base by going with my gut
6. I see these blank spaces as pockets of inspiration, what I mean by that is that I have to look inward to see what I want to place
7. When I’m done I add things in what I see as blank spaces. Those blank spaces represent new lines in my “diary”
8. I usually add birds or flowers that hold lots of meaning to me. (sunflowers and sketches of birds)
9. I continue to use acrylic and mixed media on canvas
10. I continue to research abstract artists such as Gerhard Richter and Franz Kline
11. Gehard Richter and Franz Kline are abstract expressionists that I admire and look up to
12. Gerhad Richter inspired me the most with his abstract clouds. It really drew out something I had always imagined in my head but never knew how to put on canvas
13. Franz Kline and his distinct lines led me to feel a lot of energy and power which I also wanted to translate on the canvas
14. Distinct lines like his reminded me of my traditional Korean calligraphy
15. In Korean calligraphy it is common to never lift the brush and something about creating something so fluid is amazing to me
16. I am really excited that I have been able to blend my traditional training with all the new things I have been learning and seeing around me
17. The composition I have chosen is the first image in this new series that I feel like really expresses what I want it to
18. It was the first one that I felt was complete
19. The piece that I have chosen is 5 feet by 4 feet. So when I choose the location to place my piece I have to be weary of that
20. The biggest concern I have is that the piece will be too big for the location. I don’t want my painting to look overwhelming on the wall
21. I have learned so much over the course of my time here at LIU
22. I think the most important lesson I’ve learned is that I need to be open to trying new things
23. A lot of the things I have learned and mastered in my time here were things I never thought of ever trying
24. I think it is important to make sure that as an artist you are constantly evolving and constantly trying new things to express yourself

4. A series of portraits or “character posters” of pop culture figures consisting of large wood
panels in a diptych or triptych format splitting the subject between multiple pieces along with screen prints.

5. Every semester I have been a graduate assistant in figure drawing. My skills have improved greatly since I first started at LIU. I am practicing capturing not only the likeness but the spirit of the model. With simple gestures or glances, I feel the personality of the subject can show through. I am interested in teaching at the college level so assisting the students has made me much comfortable and confident to give guidance.
I am very lucky with that this art department offers students solo shows. I have taken advantage of these exhibiting opportunities by having a solo show each semester. This has challenged me to create new work on a consistent basis and helped me conduct myself more professionally.

Since I was born in Japan and grew up in South Korea, I was interested in oriental painting that I made several oriental painting artworks. But after influenced by Henri Matisse’s colors from his artwork, it made to think about the function of color. I was fascinated with his various color that became to think about applying these colors on my oriental paintings. Whenever I have seen original colors such as red, yellow and blue It evokes my burning desire. By using these strong colors, I can express my dialog of feeling. According to my work, I used strong colors of red and blue and yellow that red color as a representing the desire and blue color as explaining the hope and yellow color as showing the youth. By using both great characteristics of oriental painting and oil painting on my artwork, it makes me better to share my feeling and thinking.

From the experience of mixing two different elements of artwork together, I am currently interested in mixed media that I am researching on the similarity and difference between the oriental painting and the water painting. Also I am making artwork with mixing acrylic and oil painting together. Therefore, my goal is continuously research on making new creation by using several different elements.